Pill to Lose Weight Without Surgery
November 12, 2015Is it possible to take a pill to create a gastric balloon and lose weight without surgery? Allurion Technologies believes you can. In fact, they've created the Elipse device which, according to Allurion Technologies, is “the first procedure-less gastric balloon” and suggests that it might be used to help those with a body mass index (BMI) above 27 to lose weight.
How the Elipse device works
Tethered to a tiny catheter, the Elipse device is swallowed as a pill by the patient. Once the pill is in the stomach, the capsule dissolves, and what is remaining is a gastric balloon that is ready to be filled with sterile fluid through the catheter. Next, the gastric balloon is filled with a sterile fluid, equivalent to the size of a grapefruit (approximately 19 ounces). After the gastric balloon is filled, it sits in the patient's stomach for four months. Allurion Technologies states, after filled, the gastric balloon provides a sensation of fullness, and helps a patient eat less and develop habits of portion control. After four months, the balloon is emptied and passed from the body naturally excreted in the stool. Outcomes thus far show patients lose approximately 1/3 of their excess weight over the four months the balloon is in the body. Due to the way the Elipse works, it is described as "procedureless."
As of yet, the Elipse device has not been approved for weight loss by the Food & Drug Administration. Elipse is one of the "gastric balloon" weight loss options that is aimed to help persons struggling with obesity to lose weight and improve related health conditions. With the Elipse device delivery via a pill, it avoids the patient undergoing an invasive re-plumbing of the digestive system such as occurs with weight loss surgery procedures. The ReShape Integrated Dual Balloon System from ReShape Medical and the ORBERA Intragastric Balloon from Apollo Endosurgery have been approved by the FDA in 2015.
Preliminary results from the Elipse
At a recent Obesity Society meeting, study co-author Dr. Ram Chuttani, reported that 34 overweight and obese subjects who got the balloon lost an average of 22 pounds after four months — about 37 percent of their excess weight. Dr. Chuttani, Chief of Interventional Gastroenterology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, reported that patients with the Elipse saw improvements in their triglycerides and in hemoglobin A1C levels — a key measure of metabolic function. Experts point out that the device is considered an aid to weight loss, not a cure to obesity.
The theory with the Elipse device is since patients get used to feeling full so much quicker with the device, they learn portion control and get used to eating less. We anticipate that the improved eating habits patients develop will mean that a significant amount of the weight will stay off, even when the balloon is no longer in place.
In the early research involving 34 patients in the Czech Republic and Greece suggests that the noninvasive intervention seems safe and effective. The Elipse has yet to be tested in American patients to begin the process for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. Researchers say that under the best of circumstances, it won't be available in the United States for another two to three years.
Patient outcomes from traditional gastric balloon procedures suggest there are long-term benefits. Dr. Chuttani further advised participants in the Obesity Society meeting that after a year patients typically keep off about half the pounds lost while the balloon was in place. That figure dips to about 30 percent five years post-procedure.
Future of the Elipse device
From Allurion Technologies: The Elipse is the world’s first procedureless gastric balloon. It does not require endoscopy or anesthesia, and is expected to cost a fraction of other balloon procedures. Moreover, the Elipse is designed to self-empty and pass safely through the gastrointestinal tract, mitigating the risk of patients lost to follow-up. The makers of the Elipse device will proceed with testing in the United States to ultimately obtain approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In the future, Elipse may be an easy way for patients to take the weight off, while diet and exercise will help them keep the weight off.
References:
About the Elipse device on Allurion Technologies site: https://www.allurion.com/fr/ballon-allurion
Press on the Elipse device: http://allurion.com/press/
Gastric Balloon in a Pill Helps Patients Lost Weight Without Surgery or Endoscopy, Newswise, 11/5/2015
Photo credit: Martin Vorel cc
